It might as well be one million miles away, as far as festival founder Redford and his crew are concerned. (Thankfully I don’t have to beg the press office for a badge anymore.) I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it – I love this festival. “I’m not into that”.
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The conversation and Q&A will be moderated by Sean P. Means, movie critic and columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune.
Robert Redford, Sundance Institute founder and president, will address members of the media to discuss this year’s program, along with Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam and film festival director John Cooper.
It was obvious that neither Redford nor any of the other Sundance people on the Egyptian stage wanted to get into the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Because we’re in support of the artist, we say: ‘Well, what are they going to come up with? “Our job is not to tell anyone in Hollywood what to do”.
Diversity stems from independent film, Redford said. It’s a word I operate from principally for most of my life… I feel like I grew up here, made so many friends here, saw so many of my favorite films here. “Therefore you’re going to have more diverse products”.
One documentary attracting a lot of festival buzz is “Newtown”, which explores the aftermath of the 2012 massacre that left 26 people dead, including 20 school children, in CT. The film co-stars Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley and Gabrielle Union.
One US drama with an offbeat story line – “Swiss Army Man” – features a hopeless loner stranded in the wilderness who befriends a dead body, and together they embark on a weird journey home. “The artists are making films about what’s on the public mind”. But it’s always been an uphill struggle. On January 23, YouTube’s first session, dubbed “YouTube & The Rise of Virtual Reality Panel Discussion”, will cover how VR is changing storytelling, with panel guests including YouTube’s Global Head of Original Content Susanne Daniels and YouTube creators The Game Theorists.
Redford did an unusual thing towards the end of the press conference.
“He brought humanity, edge, humor and vulnerability into the mainstream and we owe him a great debt for that”, said the Oscar winning director to loud applause from the Eccles stage Thursday.
You don’t have to be a celebrity for Sundance to be special.
“I’m not into the Oscars…”
“No! That’s for Donald Trump to say”.
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“What I mean is that I’m not focused on that part of it”, he said. To me it’s about the work. To gear up, go in, see 30 films, spend time with so many of my colleagues, and emerge after 10 days, exhausted, but invigorated by so many great stories – this is how I grow, this is how I learn. “That’s something I think we’re pretty proud of, how we show diversity in the festival”. “It’s just nothing that occupies my thinking”.
